Specialty Gardening: Chickens and Gardens,,,,, it it only a dream?, 1 by seedpicker_TX

seedpicker_TX wrote:
bluebunn-
finding this thread late, so pardon the intrusion...

Back in 1997 we had a horrible grasshopper invasion here. The final straw for me was an entire row of Cup and Saucer vines that I had grown from seed, which I had planted down the entire east side of my house. They'd reached the second story, and were about to bloom.

Then, one day I went out to admire them, and check for blooms, and saw one lone grasshopper had eaten the stems at the soil level on every one, and they were all dying. I was just sick.

So, went to find a solution, and at that time Martha Stewart was in the news for her chickens and chicken coop and all the colors of eggs they laid. I was quite enamored, and thought the idea charming.

I set out to buy some chickens. I got a brown frizzle, white saltan, some black-tailed japanese bantams, etc. I picked the "pretty ones". We lived in harmony for many, many years. I'll always have special memories of those birds. I named them all, and they knew their names. They would come when I called them, and loved to follow me around(especially if they saw me pick up a shovel, or if I made the "kiss sound" to signal that I found a grub worm :0)

One, in particular, was very friendly and just a doll. She would literally RUN to me, when she saw me, and would scratch my shoes, for me to pick her up. I would pick her up and carry her in my arms, just like any other pet, and, on many occasions, she would actually fall asleep in my arms. She was a saltan, and a "talker". She'd cluck and clack and tell me all about her day, and I'd clack back. She was great company in the garden :0)

Yes, they loved to scratch in the dirt, but that is what they are supposed to do, lol...I'd let them scratch around in the holes I dug, but always tried to pick out the red worms before they saw them, and just let them have the grubs and others.

Really they weren't a problem, except for seedlings. They didn't really mess with mature plants at all. I always kept a dry dirt patch for them, so they'd have their own place to bathe. It is very important for them to take dust baths, so they don't get chicken lice and mites.

I kept them free range during the day, and then at night, they huddled themselves into a rabbit-wired cage we bought for them.

The only reason we don't still have them(most lived to be 10 & 11 years old!), is because of the hawk, eagle, and raptor population. Back then, many raptors were endangered. Now, the laws protect them, and the population has increased.

We went through an emotional brief period dealing with that, and now it looks like the raptors are here to stay. :0(

I liked them how I had them...free range. Now, things are different, and we'd have to keep them locked up for their own safety, and that just kinda ruins it...

If you don't have to worry about that in your area, I would say enjoy them. They can be a lot of fun, and I'm so glad I had that experience. But, if you have raptors(like this brown eagle), they can ruin it for you.

In our area, they have carried off cats, and small dogs. We have teacup yorkies, so we have to stay ever-watchful when they go out to potty, and mostly keep them indoors.

-T